Dealing with a dementia diagnosis
When your elderly loved one has just been diagnosed with dementia, they are likely to be overwhelmed by a range of emotions. Coming to terms with the knowledge that they have a progressive degenerative condition takes time, and they will need your support if they are to move forward with a positive attitude.
Quick summary:
- There’s no right or wrong way to feel about a dementia diagnosis. The important thing to realise is that you’re not alone. Talking and writing about it can help you come to terms with the situation.
- Following a diagnosis, your GP or local authority will work with you on creating a care plan, this details what support you’re going to need to remain independent.
- If you’re in need of social care support from your local authority, you’re able to arrange a care needs assessment. This looks at the level of help you need with key aspects of you life.
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From dealing with a diagnosis and understanding the implications to getting advice on how to live well with the condition, our extensive resources will help guide you through what can be a tough and emotional moment.
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Find out what help is available
Your relative’s doctor may offer a referral to their local social services department for an assessment of needs. If this is not automatically offered, you can arrange one by getting in touch with your loved one’s local council offices and asking for contact details for the social services department.
A needs assessment will identify areas in which your loved one requires help, as well as making recommendations for any changes that should be made to their home, if applicable. Your loved one may be offered a budget to cover some, or all, of their needs, and this can be spent on social care services, or put towards private care if they prefer.
Anyone is entitled to a needs assessment, and there is no charge for the service. Once it’s confirmed that your loved one should receive care and support, they’ll be asked to complete a financial assessment to determine how much they’ll be responsible for paying towards their care.
Their care plan may need to be privately funded if they has savings above the designated threshold, which is currently £23,500.
Getting a care plan
Regardless of whether you need care immediately, following a diagnosis for dementia, one of the first things that should happen is that you receive a care plan.
This is a document that you put together with the help of your GP or local authority that spells how you’re going to be able to maintain your way of life for as long possible, ensuring you get the help you need.
Thinking about the future
Knowing that they have dementia gives your loved one the opportunity to think about their future needs. This is a good time to put in place an Advance Statement, in which they set out their wishes. This gives friends, family and carers the opportunity to get to know their likes and dislikes, whether that’s the sort of television programmes they like to watch, the foods that they like best, or the types of outings that they enjoy.
Reassure your loved one that a dementia diagnosis doesn’t mean they have to move into a care home. Elderly care at home, provided by Elder, is currently growing in popularity, as it enables older and vulnerable people to remain in the safe and familiar surroundings of their own home, even when they can no longer manage to live alone.
Live-in care means that a dedicated and empathetic carer moves into your loved one’s home and lives alongside them, providing a range of services that allow them to continue to enjoy an independent lifestyle without the disruption that a change of address would bring.
You can source 24/7 caregivers to provide everything from simple companion care, through to the complex demands of dementia care, where the carer may perform a range of personal duties, such as helping your loved one to bathe and dress.
Understand that it takes time to come to terms with the range of emotions and questions that a diagnosis of dementia brings, but rest assured that it doesn’t mean that your loved one’s life cannot still live a full and active life.
Tackled with care and sympathy, your loved one should soon realise that there is still plenty of enjoyment to be had from life and that their family and friends are on hand to offer emotional and practical support.
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